The Durbar Room at Osborne House

One of the most famous rooms at Osborne House is certainly the India inspired Durbar a room. Contrasting from the rest of the house and its seaside location, the Durbar room transports visitors to an unexpected foreign land. This was certainly the case for Queen Victoria, who despite being Queen of India since 1858 and Empress since 1876, had never been allowed to visit India due concerns for her safety.

Continue reading to learn all about the Durban Room, it’s design and role at royal court!

Built between 1890-1891, the Durbar Room was inspired by the interior of Elveden Hall in Suffolk, home to exiled Maharaja Duleep Singh. The project was supervised by John Lockwood Kipling, who had done a similar project at Bagshot Park, home of Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Arthur. However, it was his student, Bhai Ram Singh, that took charge as chief director, designer and creator. After meeting Singh in January 1891, queen Victoria described him as “a very intelligent, pleasant, nice man, a Seikh; we looked at sketches he had made for the decoration”.

When entering the magnificent room, visitors are usually stunned by the intricate designs that cover the walls and ceiling. The original design was for the carvings to be hand made out of wood. However, this proved too expensive for the royal family, who were using their personal savings to fund the build. Instead, plaster was poured into wooden moulds to create many of the repetitive designs. One of the most iconic features is a large plaster peacock that protrudes out of the wall. Made to recognise Princess Louise’s influence in the design process, artists spent hundreds of hours intricately sculpting each detail by hand!

After the rooms completion in 1891, the Durbar room became a centre point for royal court. Queen Victoria used the room almost immediately, especially over the festive period. It was used to display many gifts she had received from Indian Kings over the years, as well as becoming the location for many banquets.

Thrilled with her new room, Queen Victoria hailed Bhai Ram Singh with a portrait, which still hangs in the Durbar Corridor today.

It’s easy to see why Queen Victoria loved the Durbar Room so much and her passion for Indian culture still shines through its stunning architecture. Have you ever visited Osborne House? Let me know in the comments below.

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